State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

Interim Space Requests

CGS 4b-23 requires that any state agency wishing to utilize leased space to meet their facility needs must be approved for the necessary square footage and costs within the State Facility Plan.

However, in those instances where the agency is not approved for the necessary square footage and/or costs within the State Facility Plan, agencies are required by CGS 4b-23(k) and CGS 4b-23(l) to seek additional approvals before a lease may be entered into.  These additional approvals are known as an Interim Requests.

There are three (3) instances where an Interim Request for square footage or funding is required:

  1. The agency needs to exceed its State Facility Plan approval levels by more than 10%; or

  2. The space request was not submitted for inclusion in the State Facility Plan; or

  3. The space request was submitted for inclusion in the State Facility Plan, however, the request was not approved.

Any agency which requires an interim space request approval may submit a request to the Secretary of the OPM which provides the following:

  1. A cover letter from the agency providing justification for the interim request, and

  2. If the Secretary so requires, agencies must submit a capital development impact statement and/or co-location statement in accordance with CGS 4-66b and CGS 4b-23(e) respectively. NOTE: At this time OPM is not requiring submittal of capital development impact statements or co-location statements as part of the interim space request process.

Any such interim requests for additional facilities which are determined by the Secretary of the OPM to be of an emergency nature or the lack of which may seriously hinder the efficient operation of the state, may, according to CGS 4b-23(k), be approved by the Secretary of the OPM and the State Properties Review Board and are known as an interim approval made between State Facility Plans.  

CGS 4b-23(k) specifically states "No action may be taken by the state to lease or construct such additional facilities unless the secretary makes such a determination."

Required Documentation
   
Cover Letter with Justification - Any agency seeking an Interim Space Request approval is required to submit to the Secretary of the OPM which outlines the agency's justification for the interim space request. 
Sample interim space request cover letters can be found on our Forms Page. 
This process helps to ensure that the State does not lease more space than is required for the requesting agency to adequately carry out its functions.

Duration of Interim Space Request Approvals

It should be noted that it is not uncommon for a period of 12-18 months to elapse between the time an interim space request is approved and the time that the DAS is able to secure a lease on behalf of the requesting agency. 

If the publication of a new State Facility Plan occurs during that 12-18 month period, then any interim requests which have been approved by OPM prior to the publication of the State Facility Plan would technically expire and agencies would be required to resubmit their interim space requests.

However, in an effort to reduce the number of interim space requests which are necessary as well as reducing the time necessary for DAS to secure a lease on behalf of the requesting agency, the Bureau has informed DAS that interim requests approved by the OPM will be considered valid for a period of 18 months from the date of OPM approval.
Questions?

Office of Policy and Management

Bureau of Assets Management

450 Capitol Avenue

Hartford, CT 06106-1379

Paul Hinsch

Email: paul.hinsch@ct.gov

Phone: (860) 418-6429